By Garwin Davis,
Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
MORE THAN $100 million will be needed to repair Montego Bay's roads and other infrastructure damaged by this week's heavy rains and floods, Dr. Peter Phillips, Minister of Transport and Works, said yesterday.
During a tour of the north coast resort, the Minister, accompanied by officials, declared Montego Bay one of the worst flood-hit areas he had seen in a long time and said remedial work in sections of the town had to begin immediately.
"By next week we should have some estimates of the overall cost of work that needs to be done but from the look of things this is far exceeding $100 million... If it wasn't for the work we did on the South Gully project, the damage to the city would have been far worse," he said.
He conceded that most of Montego Bay was suffering from a poor drainage system and said that a comprehensive project involving the construction and proper maintenance of drains would have to be undertaken.
He pointed to "major degradation of the environment" by some residents as contributing significantly to wide areas becoming flood-prone. "We need to enforce proper settlement patterns," the Minister said. "This is not about squatting but I believe that first and foremost our responsibility must be with the safety of people and the protection of lives."
Some residents appeared happy with the visits from the government officials but some expressed doubt that the tour would serve any useful purpose.
"It is not just yesterday that this place has been flooding," a woman remarked. "Over and over again we see the same thing happening and nothing has been done."
A man added: "If they have been treating the Flankers area leading into Ironshore and Rosehall where the tourists have to drive through in such a manner, what do you expect them to do with the poor communities? The fact is that they don't care and by their actions we know this."
Dr. Phillips said the South Gully project should be completed by the end of March.
